I haven't had time to read every word, but he said she said allegations are always difficult to prove, and the jury gave a man who has enormous stature in Scotland the benefit of the doubt. This is a personal issue to myself and I feel strongly that plaintiffs are to be believed, after experiencing so much anguish to get the matter to court, let alone the trauma of the abuse itself. https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2020/mar/09/alex-salmond-believes-women-consented-to-sexual-contact-jury-hears
But the complainants were disbelieved by a Scottish jury. I appreciate that, in general, acquittal does not always mean innocence, and, again in general, we can't always conclude from an acquittal that the complainant was lying. But in this case, acquittal has to be interpreted as rebuttal. That's the flip side of the coin: if you can convict a man on the say-so of a complainant, then you can equally conclude, in those circumstances, that an acquittal implies that the allegation was not only flawed and untrue, but also false.
At least two of the complainants had their stories ripped to shreds by the defence. I do find it difficult to come to any conclusion other than that the more serious allegations were either exaggerations of real incidents or just outright lies. One also has to wonder what these women were doing allowing themselves in close proximity to Alex Salmond in private and intimate situations, if he had such a reputation.
I'm afraid I also disagree with you about believing complainants. I am of the view that complaints in sexual cases should always be met with scepticism. It's a very serious allegation, and also very easy to make such an allegation on the flimsiest basis. A lot of women sleep with men they are not attracted to and then regret it and worry about their reputation and what people will say. They then sometimes make up or exaggerate what occurred in an effort to make it seem as if they were coerced into the situation.
I also oppose giving complainants anonymity, which I believe undermines a fair trial.
I wish to add that I consider rape to be a vile crime and I know that some complaints of rape and sexual assault are true. I suspect the majority are not, but those that are true should be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law and the perpetrators should be punished with severity. Equally, I believe women who invent allegations against men should face justice and consequences as criminals.